Monday Thursday and every other Saturday
by Tisaveeone
Summary: Bella Swan is a high class divorce attorney and emotional ice queen with a shield around her heart. Edward Mason is in the business of making broken things beautiful and he plans to turn Bells frozen heart into his own personal masterpiece.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I told you I was gonna hit you with something special to thank you for voting and showing love with Reparations…well, here she be my lovelies. Read this intro and then skip on over and jump into chapter one.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Nuff said.**

Prelude

Someone once said, that "falling in love consists mainly of uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense."

As far as Bella Swan was concerned, truer words had never been spoken.

People's lack of common sense when it came to love had been the key to her success.

Everyone knew that over 50% of all marriages ended in divorce.

Why anyone kept rolling the dice on those odds was beyond Bella's comprehension, but she was certainly glad that they did.

Couples blinded by love and foolishly jumping into commitments had bought her a house, paid for her car, freed her from student loan debt, and helped her to raise to the rank of junior partner in the law firm of Spriggs and Hollingsworth, all before her 30th birthday.

Bella Swan had money, and prestige, and a best friend that she would walk through fire for. And when it came to those little itches that every woman needed to have scratched from time to time…well, let's just say that Bella had her bases covered with a fellow Jr. Partner who also doubled as a handy little back scratcher.

Yes, from where Bella was sitting, life was good, until that eventful Friday evening.

There had been no warning signs as far as she could tell.

Nothing on the weather channel told her to beware of storm clouds ahead.

Nothing in the traffic report said to brace for a massive collision.

But there was no denying the fact that, the woman who stepped off the elevator on the 12th floor that morning was not the same woman who stepped back on later that night.

Events were set into motion, and while there was no way for her to know it, the things that happened that night, would send Bella flying head first towards everything that she had been avoiding most of her.

**A/N: I know it's not giving you a lot, that's why you gotta get you butts over to chapter one…go on….I'll meet cha there!**


	2. Good Housekeeping

**A/N: Glad you made it over. Again, this is a little thank you for showing me so much love, and welcoming me in the Twific world. I was going to hold on to this story until I finished Reparations, but I figured you deserved a reward for getting me into the double digits with my very first twifanfic. Now the second chapter didn't get anywhere near the same amount of hugs and kisses. If you didn't like it, you can still let a sister know. I can't fix it if you don't tell me about it. But you can make it up to me by reviewing the hell out of this story!**

**There will be notes on my profile at some point, but just know that this will be a full multi-chapter Bella/Edward story and I will be working it and Reparations at the same time. Now, put a muzzle on the kids, and your hubby too, if he's as talkative as mine, and get to reading! **

**Disclaimer: If you think I own this, then you have totally misunderstood the concept of fanfiction. The storyline is mine…principle characters…not so much.**

Chapter One

Good Housekeeping

There wasn't another thing that she could clean. She had scrubbed every visible surface in the house, and even a few areas that could barely be seen with the naked eye.

But it still wasn't good enough because everything around her felt dirty.

Something deep down inside said she should just let it all out and have a good cry. But Bella Swan, the ball breaker of divorce litigation, did not cry.

Ever.

She thought about breaking something, but everything in her house belonged to her and she'd be damned if she was going to go around breaking up her own shit.

She wanted to break his shit.

She needed to break his shit.

She wished she had started breaking his shit the moment she walked into his office.

But she had taken the high road and dealt with the situation as nothing more than a mild annoyance.

She had gone to his office in the first place because she knew that he would still be putting in hours on the Monroe case. He was as much of a workaholic as she was; in the office before 9 every morning, never leaving before 10 most nights. That was one of the things that she loved about him…no, not _loved_…admired.

Bella admired his work ethic. It was something that she liked about herself, so it was only natural that she would gravitate towards someone who had a similar outlook.

Whenever Bella need someone to bounce ideas off of or a place to vent about a client or someone to run through closing arguments with her, she went to him.

They had shared only a professional acquaintance until ten months ago when Bella had been assigned to take his place as co-counsel on a child custody case, when his expertise in Wills and Probate were needed elsewhere.

That first late night, they'd split an order of Vietnamese Fried Rice as he brought her up to speed on the specifics of the case she would be handling. He also brought her up to speed on the fact that he was an amazing kisser, who'd had his eye on her since her days as an intern.

"I kept my distance then because I had to, and I will keep my distance now, but only if you want me to," he'd said.

Did she want him to?

Bella then…said, "Hell no," because that kiss had been the most action she'd seen in a long time.

Bella now…wished she'd kneed him in the nuts.

After that first all-nighter, the after hours scene in his office would always be the same: him, with his Marx Shafftner suit jacket off, hanging on the back of his office chair, his Hugo Boss shirt's top two buttons open and sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and his Ralph Lauren Purple Label necktie, thrown haphazardly across the back of his chocolate brown leather sofa. The room always smelled like him, woodsy and strong with just a hint of spice.

She would find him either standing at his window that overlooked the monument with his muscular arms crossed at his chest or in her most favorite position, sitting behind his cherry wood desk with his feet propped up, the soles of his Santoni Oxfords waving at her as he wiggled his foot from side to side.

Bella had come to know those size 13's, very well.

She had woken up on quite a few occasions to find them placed neatly at the foot of her bed.

Yes, Bella Swan relied on Jacob Black for many things, and on this particular night, she was counting on him being in the mood to celebrate her good news.

The Newton case had been giving her sleepless nights for the past three weeks, and she had started to think that there would be no way to avoid a trial. That was until Bella's private investigator turned up a nifty little photo of Mr. Newton coming out of a club late one night.

Now that might not have been much of an earth shattering discovery if it had not been for the fact that the club in question was DuPont Circle's well known gay bar, Twist, and the fact that Mr. Newton was exiting the club with two very attractive gentlemen on his arm didn't help much either.

So needless to say, the settlement offer that Bella sent to his attorneys was accepted post haste and the papers had been signed, dated, and delivered by the close of business that very day.

Bella was over the moon and she wanted to celebrate.

She'd taken the liberty of having Café Asia send over a verity platter of all their favorite sushi items along with an order of the best steamed dumplings on this side of the Potomac.

Her plan was to surprise him with dinner and, hopefully, a little extra special celebratory romp on that desk of his. It was the perfect height for all kinds of exploration, and Bella knew from experience that Jacob gave very good desk, especially when his belly was full and the aroma of legal victory was in the air…being turned on by winning was yet another thing they had in common.

Unfortunately, sometimes even the best laid plans go astray, and it seemed that Jacob was already having a bit of a celebratory romp of his own.

She probably should have thought it odd that Jacob's door was closed. It was late enough that no one else would be roaming about, particularly on this floor, and on a Friday. But Bella only gave it a momentary thought, and chalked it up to the possibility that he was on the phone with a client, or perhaps he had just closed the door out of habit. She simply carried on with the obligatory three knocks on the door before entering...

Four or five knocks might have been better, because three didn't give Jacob the warning time that he needed to get his secretary up off her knees.

There he sat, in a scene right out of a Lifetime Movie, on the edge of his desk, with his pants and boxer briefs around his ankles while Ms. Jessica Stanley—bleach bottle blonde, brand new boobs and an I.Q of 70—tried hopelessly to scurry to her feet and stuff herself back into a bra that was at least two sizes too small for her.

There weren't many things that could be said at a time like this, and Bella really wasn't interested in anything that Jacob could possibly pull out of his ass to explain this shit away. She also wasn't interested in having a cliché catfight with Jessica.

Bella Swan did not do cliché.

She took all of three seconds to compose herself before putting on her best "butter don't melt in my mouth" smile.

"Don't let me interrupt; I just thought you'd like to know I settled the Newton case today, seems he got caught with his hands in the cookie jar…hard to believe right? I mean you would think a smart, successful guy like Newton would know how to be more discrete…hmm," she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly for effect. "Go figure."

The double meaning in Bella's words was not lost on Jacob as he hastily buttoned his fly, while stumbling over Jessica's discarded stiletto pump in his ridiculous attempt to make the scene look presentable.

As if the empty take-out containers and wine glasses, not to mention Jessica's discarded panty hose and the two yet to be used condoms on his desk could be swept away before she had a chance to notice.

And then there was Jessica hiding her face in the corner. She looked like an over grown toddler playing peek-a-boo.

_News flash Jessica, you can't see me, but I can still see you. Dumbass._

"Jessica, dear," Bella watched as she turned holding her blouse together with one hand and wiping the smeared lipstick from her cheek with the other.

_Of course he popped the buttons_, Bella thought as she looked at Jessica. How many of her blouses had he ruined in just the same manner? She couldn't think about that right now. She needed to salvage her dignity and get the hell out of there.

"Don't forget to have Mr. Black sign your timesheet before you leave. We wouldn't want you to miss being paid for all your overtime tonight." Bella winked at her and smirked at Jacob as she turned to leave.

Three doors down and a left turn, back to the safety of her office. Bella finally exhaled before she spied the unopened container of take-out food and immediately felt her stomach turn.

_Oh no you don't, pull it together Swan. You will NOT lose your shit over this…over him. Calm, cool, collected. Don't forget who you are._

The mental pep talk was enough—for now. Bella decided that what she needed was to go home and end this day with a drink…a good strong drink.

Jacob's surprising indiscretion didn't change the fact that she'd just settled on a case that would bring a hefty alimony payment to her client, and a large amount of revenue and prestige to her firm. She didn't need him and his well endowment to celebrate. A nice drink and a hot bath would be even better than anything Jacob could have provided.

Bella doubted she could have convinced a jury with that argument, but she was sticking to it nonetheless.

With her mind made up and the bit of ugly Jacob business pushed into the back of her mind, she spent a few moments tidying up her desk, and closing out the files on her computer.

Tomorrow was Saturday, and Bella suddenly remembered that she and Jacob usually came into the office and spent the mornings working together on Saturdays.

What to do…she could show up just to prove to him that she couldn't care less about his ridiculous romp. They had never actually declared themselves to be a couple, so Jacob really didn't owe her anything in terms of faithfulness. She would never sleep with him again of course, but that had everything to do with her desire to avoid sharing Jessica's cooties, and nothing to do with her feelings of being hurt.

She could also stay home, turn her phone off and avoid anything and everything related to Jacob Black for the next 48 hours. That would work if Bella Swan were nursing a broken heart, but she wasn't. Or if Bella Swan cared about fact that the man she had been sleeping with for almost a year was sleeping with someone else, which she didn't.

That settled it; tomorrow Bella would come into work as usual. Period.

With that last bit of business taken care of, she gathered her brief case, her purse, and her uneaten sushi, and walked down the hall to the elevator that would take her to the lobby. She tried not to, but she couldn't help listening for sounds coming from the other offices. Her focus was really trained on just one office in particular, but there was nothing.

In fact, it was so quiet, that when the elevator signaled its arrival, it startled Bella, and she jumped into the parting doors before they had a chance to fully open.

Once she was safely inside, she looked at her refection in the shiny metallic of the closing doors and took and assessment: brown hair, extra shiny and bouncy, partly from good genes, partly from her biweekly visits to Ken Pavous, brown eyes, nothing special particularly when they were hidden, as they were now, behind her glasses, but her perfectly applied dose of mascara did help them to stand out.

Then there was the body. Bella wasn't ashamed to say that she had a nice body, because she worked hard for it. It had cost her a pretty penny to have all of her favorite gym equipment installed in her home, but it had been worth it. Bella put each of the machines to good use most days throughout the week. This regiment had earned her solid abs, killer thighs, and an ass that was firm with just the right amount of bounce when she walked. Her breast may not have been as large as Jessica's, but Bella was proud to say that hers were real and still defied gravity.

Bella couldn't even find fault with her wardrobe. Thanks to her personal shopping guru and best friend Alice Brandon, she was no longer at a loss as to what looked good on her. Today it was an immaculate pair of navy high waisted slacks with a silk Donna Karen blouse. The champagne color of the blouse played off of Bella's pale hue perfectly, and the Steve Madden peek-toe pumps were the perfect addition. Finishing the outfit with a couple of chunky bangles and her simple diamond stud earrings, Bella looked nothing like the overly made up, surgically enhanced Jessica.

It was a simple case of classy vs. trashy, and Bella was at a loss to understand how one man could find two so completely different women both appealing…

_Fucking men_, she thought to herself. If she were not so strong, finding Jacob with Jessica could have broken her. If she were not so strong it could've made her self-esteem plummet. If Bella were not so strong, she would have broken down in tears the moment she stepped off that elevator.

Bella had been weak throughout most of her life, and she knew from experience that strong was better.

So when the elevator reached the lobby, she exited, walking with one foot in front of the other, but having no conscious reference of actually going anywhere. It didn't matter if she understood that she was moving, the only thing that mattered was that she wasn't breaking down. She was still strong.

It was four blocks later before she realized that she'd driven to work that day and her car was still parked back at the office in the underground garage. She felt something inside of her start to slip at the thought of returning to that building.

"Forget something, Miss Bella?" Larry, the Security guard, greeted her as she used her key card to reenter the building. That thing that had started to slip, whatever it was, was a bit looser, and Bella just wanted to get to her car as fast as she could.

"You could say that, I forgot that I drove," she smiled weakly.

"Oh that must have been why Mr. Black came running down looking for you. I told him you'd left on foot about 20 minutes ago."

He'd come looking for her. Bella didn't respond to any of the information that Larry had just given her. That thing, whatever it was, was still slipping and she needed to…

"Miss Bella, are you ok?" Larry asked after several seconds of Bella not responding.

"I'm fine," she said as she frantically fishing her keys from her purse. She needed to distract Larry or he would see the thing slipping, and he was the security guard for Christ's sake; she couldn't let him see her like this.

"Um…Larry," she forced a smile. "I just ordered all this food, but I lost my appetite, I don't know if you like sushi, but you're welcome to have it." Bella sat the nondescript brown paper bag down on Larry's security station desk.

"That's very nice of you Miss Bella, but my wife packs me a nice lunch every evening, I wouldn't dream of letting it go to waste."

Bella tried to smile at the gleam the older gentleman got in his eye when he spoke about his wife, but she couldn't quite pull it off this time.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't. It's very nice of her to do that for you."

_That was good; now just wish him a goodnight and leave._

That was what Bella's head told her to do, but she just stood there holding her keys and her bags not knowing how to get the message from her brain to her feet.

"Was there anything else that I could do for you, Miss Bella?" Larry asked when it became painfully clear that Bella was stuck in some sort of trance.

"What…"she shook her head. "No…no, I'll just be going now." _One foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other…_ This was Bella's mental chant as she willed herself to make it to the elevator and down to her car.

Larry left his post to walk beside her, his hands out stretched towards her, positive that she would collapse at any moment. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Bella nodded, mortified as the thing slipped some more, and she struggled to pull herself together.

Mercifully, the elevator door stood open, ready to receive her. It was almost as if God knew that waiting for the elevator to arrive would have been more than Bella could take at that moment.

Then again, considering what happened once the elevator reached the garage, Bella wasn't convinced that God really gave a damn about her at all.

Because when the doors slid open again, he was there, pacing next to her car.

His hands were shoved into his pockets as he walked back and forth like a caged animal.

But Bella was the one who was trapped.

The elevator doors closed, and then opened again before he realized that she was there. "Bella…" he said breathlessly and he took two long strides towards her. The thing slipped even more, and now her hands where balled into fists as she tried to hang on to whatever it was that she was in the process of losing.

She held on so tightly that the keys in her hands began to dig into her palms, and she recognized the feeling.

Pain.

It was the pain that finally, snapped her out of it.

"Please, just let me…" he reached for her, but Bella side stepped him. She would talk to him, but she would not let him touch her. She knew exactly where his hands had been and the thought made her want to yack up the acid that churned away in her empty stomach.

She had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to gather herself. The thing wasn't slipping anymore, but the strength that Bella needed to face this had yet to return.

"Here," she shoved the brown bag containing their dinner into his arms.

"What is this?"

"Dinner…sushi, I ordered it for…"

"Bella, I don't want any sushi. I want to talk."

"Well maybe Jessica would like it." Bella hit the automatic starter on her key ring, and listened as her Audi S6 purred to life. It was like music to her ears.

_That's your car Bella, and you're going get in it and drive to your house. You don't need him or his unruly man junk. Remember who you are…You are Bella fucking Swan._

And that was all she needed. She didn't feel whole yet, but she could feel her strength returning.

"Bella can we please just go back upstairs and talk?"

She turned to face him, because she was getting stronger by the second, and strong Bella didn't run from shit. She dealt with it.

"No, we can talk right here." She walked over to her car and opened the door to the driver's side. In went her bags, as she tossed them into the passenger's seat. She put one foot into the car and crossed her arms on the top of the open door. Her stance was causal but purposeful. She wanted him to know that he had not hurt her, and that this conversation would be brief.

No drawn out dramatics. No emotional breakdowns. "So, how long have you been doing your secretary?"

"Bella…"he sounded whiney and nervous and nothing like the Jacob that had challenged her intellect, and made her laugh, and set her body on fire for the last eleven months. She had avoided looking into his eyes this whole time, but when she met his gaze, and he looked afraid.

"Just tell me you haven't been double dipping this whole time."

"No, Bella, I have never been with Jessica before tonight."

"Good…not that it's any of my business any more, but you should probably make sure you keep it wrapped…Miss J looks a little suspect."

"Can you please talk seriously, Bella? I know you're hurt…"

"Negative counselor, I am not hurt. Surprised…yes, tired and in need of a strong cocktail…hell yes. We had fun while it lasted, and fortunately, we are both mature professionals who will not allow this recent turn of events to affect our working relationship." Bella extended her hand and waited for Jacob to take it.

"Are you kidding me with that shit?" He took one look at her extended hand, and backed away, shoving his hands into his pockets and jiggling his loose change like he always did when he was upset. He was pacing again.

"You want to know why I ended up in my office getting a blowjob from Jessica? That…that right there, I can't get fucking close to you. You're like some kind of goddamn robot…oh you're hot enough in the sack, damn hot in fact, but anything else, anything real…beyond the physical, and you turn into this frigid ice queen."

That should have hurt, but Bella was too far gone to be injured by hearing him confirm the things she already knew. She was cold, and robotic, and she wasn't capable of connecting with men in any way other than physically or socially.

But who the hell needed that any way? Sex may have been overrated, but so was the notion that everyone should have a happily ever after with the man or woman of their dreams. Bella had friends…well, _a_ friend. And she had family…well, her father. But that was all the emotional attachment she could handle.

"Guilty as charged. It's a good thing you figured me out before you went and did something stupid like falling in love with me."

Jacob's head shot up, and the look he gave Bella made her conviction wobble, the slightest bit.

In his eyes she saw all the times they'd kissed, every touch, every moan. But more than that, she saw things she didn't want to see, jokes, and smiles, and laughs.

She saw love. Bella didn't know what kind of love it was, but her carefully controlled psyche told her to shut that shit down immediately.

She did a five second evaluation of her stability. That thing, whatever it was that had been slipping, was firmly in place. She was calm and steady, and strong. She exhaled and smiled to herself as she realized she could avert this crisis.

"Are we finished here, Jacob, because I have a hot bath and a bottle of chardonnay waiting for me at home?" There was no emotion in her voice.

Jacob paused only for a second, a moment of pleading flashing across his eyes before he walked to her. He didn't stop until his body was pressed against the opposite side of her car door. He never broke eye contact as he took her hand. But instead of shaking it, as Bella had offered earlier, he opened her fist and kissed her palm.

"Yes, counselor, we are absolutely finished," he said and then wrapped her fingers back into a fist.

"In case I don't see you tomorrow, congratulations on the Newton case."

"Thank you, Jacob." There was nothing left to say, so Bella lowered herself into her car, and allowed Jacob to close her door. She would allow him to do that much…but no more.

Driving away, she gave herself permission to look back at him once through her rear view mirror. As he walked away, he tossed the brown paper bag into the garbage can, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Bella could almost hear the loose change jingle.

She pulled out of the garage, knowing that she would not be coming into work the next day.

Standing in the middle of her kitchen at three in the morning in old cut offs and a Bob Marley t-shirt, with nothing left to clean, and no wine left to drink, Bella's urge to destroy things had passed in an alcohol induced haze.

She gathered her two empty bottles of chardonnay and made her way through the door that connected her kitchen to her garage. Tomorrow was recycling day, so she carried her yellow bin out to the curb in front of her house.

She may have been a cold-hearted bitch incapable of true intimacy with the opposite sex, but at least she did her part to save the environment.

That was the last thing Bella remembered thinking before she passed out face down in her bed. The first thing she remembered thinking seven hours later, when the rumble of a truck's engine, and loud voices woke her was…

_Who the hell was Edward, and why is he making so much damn noise?_

**A/N: Let's pretend that we are back in 3****rd**** grade…."Do you like this story so far?" Circle: Yes….No….Maybe. Hit the button and let me have it. Don't you want Bella to find out who the hell Edward is and why he's making so much damn noise? Then you have to drown my inbox with reviews.**

**Now, I have to give my shout outs…to the Queen B Nina-freakin-politan. I am honored that you slipped me the name for the gay bar. I wish it was real so we could go and get tipsy and get our grind on. Gay boys have all the fun. To my bizzle-izzle,MJ…you keep my shit tight and I luvs ya for that. I have decided to dub you the trivia babe in honor of your almost win. Next time bb, next time.**


	3. Mind Your Manners

**A/N: I promised you Edward and Edward you shall have. Let's find out what all the racket was about shall we?**

**Big ole thanks to MJ for doing the damn thing with this chapter. Bella needed tamin and you tamed her ass. I wish you could work that same magic on me, cuz my potty mouth has a mind of its own sometimes.**

**Disclaimer: I have ripped off SM characters and made them do things they were never meant to do…and took them places they were never meant to go…but it's all in the name of fun and sexiness, so it's all good.**

Chapter Two

Mind Your Manners

The truck had been on Bella's street for all of three minutes, but that was three minutes too long for her tolerance level.

Bella's once exclusively young upwardly mobile neighborhood had grown increasingly family-oriented in the two years since she'd brought her house. The BMW's and the Jag's had been replaced with more and more minivan's with proud Honor Roll and PTA stickers on the back.

So there were certain noises that she'd had to adjust to: high pitched squealing laughter, the cla-clunk…cla-clunk…cla-clunk of skateboards or those roller shoes rolling down the sidewalk, and the occasional screeching mother calling for her offspring to come in for dinner.

All of these sounds Bella had grown accustomed to. She didn't like it by any means, but the real estate market was too unstable for her to do anything about it at the moment.

But this new sound, this growling, rumbling beast that had stationed itself outside of her window, was too much to bear. Not to mention the deep baritone voice that was bellowing for assistance from this "Edward" person.

In reality, the recycling truck outside was no louder than your average garbage truck, in fact, it was quite a bit quieter due to the fact that it was a new, highly fuel efficient diesel/electric hybrid.

But Bella didn't know that, nor did she care. As far as she was concerned, it might as well have been a 747 landing smack dab in the middle of her front lawn.

As the rumbling continued, she pulled her pillow over head and pressed it down on both sides, hoping to ride out the racket until one of her friendly neighborhood soccer moms came out to complain that the noise was waking up her sleeping triplets or driving her Labradoodle crazy or something.

But Bella had no such luck.

After another forty-five seconds of noise, she pushed off her pillow and peeked through her plantations shutters out into the brightness of the morning.

Thankfully the image that she saw was of a large bear of a man climbing into the passenger side of the recycling truck as it prepared to leave.

"Thank God," Bella sighed to herself.

She really was not in the mood to have a face to face confrontation with the Incredible Hulk, but a second glance out of her window told her that that was exactly what she was in for.

All of that noise, and disturbance, and the assholes were about to drive away, leaving her completely full recycling container on the curb where she'd placed it the night before.

"Fuck," she hissed as she scrambled out of bed, gracelessly bumping her shoulder on her bedroom doorframe.

Fortunately, she managed not to trip as she rushed barefoot down the stairs and out the front door.

"Stop!" she yelled just as the truck began to pull away. "Stop right now!" she screamed from the end of her driveway while waving her arms trying to get their attention.

And the truck did stop, only a few feet from the spot where it'd been stationed moments before. The passenger side door opened, and a man, the big one that Bella had watched from her bedroom window, climbed out.

Bella took a moment to really take in the mammoth that stood before her. He was at least 6'4, which meant he towered over Bella's petite frame. His build was ginormous and not an inch of it appeared to be fat.

His coveralls were left unbuttoned from his neck to his waist, so Bella could see that the material of his beater was stretched tight over his large pecs.

She wasn't ogling, but it was hard not to be impressed by the sheer mass of him.

"Is something wrong," he smiled warmly.

"Is something wrong?" Bella did not match his warmth, as she rolled her eyes and sarcastically threw his question back at him.

"Um, would you like to explain why you would collect everyone else's trash and conveniently forget to pick up mine?"

"Recycling," he said as he playfully swung his massive arms back and forth, slapping his palm to his fist each time they made contact.

"What?" Bella spat with her hands on her hips.

"We collected everyone else's recycling. We're not the garbage collectors. We're environmental sanitation engineers." He chuckled and folded his massive arms across his chest.

It was obvious to Bella that Recycling Guy didn't have a brain to match his impressive build, so she continued with the task at hand.

"I don't care what you call yourselves," she crossed her arms to match his stance. "I just want to know why you so blatantly disregarded your duties and left my recycling uncollected. I mean, would it really have been that difficult for you to pick up one more container of glass and metal?"

"See, that right there, is part of your problem, sweet cheeks."

_Did he just call me "sweet cheeks"? _Bella stepped back to give herself some breathing room.

The man had no way of knowing it, but being a woman in a male dominated field had given Bella quite a sensitivity to men and their little sexist comments, and at that moment, Bella decided she wouldn't risk breaking her hand by punching him in the gut, but giving him a swift kick to the groin might be worth the possible jail time and disbarment.

Fortunately, Bella kept her head, and quickly decided that he was not worth the trouble. She chose to restrain herself and silently counted to ten while he casually leaned against the now silent truck. His lips continue to move with spoken words that Bella ignored until he reached the very end of his last sentence.

"…and they need to be separated." He smiled broadly, and there were dimples the size of moon craters that appeared on both sides of his face.

Bella couldn't be quite as angry as before, because with the smile and the dimples, she realized how handsome he was, as handsome as Jacob, even in his sweaty gear and surrounded by garbage. But thinking about Jacob just made the feelings from last night return and Bella was done feeling bad about things that may or may not have been her fault.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't hear half of what you said. It all sounded like blah…blah…blah to me. But that really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you pick up that little yellow bin, and toss its contents into your big blue truck. Right. Now."

Her Recycling Guy didn't move.

"I don't want to have to play hardball, but you should know that I'm an attorney, and I am sure that there is some ordinance about garbage collecting that you are breaking, and I am also sure that your boss would love to have his company hauled into court over your incompetence."

It was obvious that the man found her little rant more amusing than menacing, but then he pushed himself off of the truck and headed in the direction of her recycle bin. He seemed to be willing to submit to her demand, and that was all that mattered to Bella.

She was about to turn around and head back into her house, satisfied that she had won her argument...Until the other door to the truck opened.

It had slipped Bella's mind that she'd heard the big guy calling to someone while she was inside the house, but the invisible "Edward" person hadn't bothered to make an appearance…until now.

Bella's first thought was that there should have been music playing when he stepped down from that truck.

Not the cheesy "bow-chicka-wowwow" of a bad porno flick, but all-American rock. Mellencamp or Springsteen would have fit the scene perfectly, especially because the man that she assumed to be Edward, was wearing a blue bandana, the same shade as his coveralls, tied around his head. Bella could tell that he'd been sweating because the color of the material was darker around his forehead.

On the sides, damp pieces of stray hair poked out, and the color appeared to be a dark brown not unlike Bella's own. But as she stared longer, she could tell that there were odd shades of deep bronzy red mixed in that made it the most intriguing hair color Bella had ever seen.

Her eyes wandered down from his head to his face. If she'd thought that the big guy was handsome, then her first impression of this Edward person was that he was beautiful.

The lines of his face were cut like the very definition of a man…strong and angular. But his beauty was not limited to his facial features.

As Bella's eyes continued to travel downward, she found that unlike the big guy, his top half was not covered by work coveralls. His arms were out of the sleeves, so that the top half of the suit hung down freely at his waist.

The beater that covered his chest was not as tightly stretched as the big guy's either, but his muscles were still prominent. Broad shoulders, well defined arms and a chest and stomach that were hidden from Bella's sight, but she imagined the muscles there to be just as full and rippling.

"Emmett," the Edward person removed the toothpick that had been tucked into his mouth, and called the big guy by name.

The sound of his voice was electric. It was deep like the big guy, Emmett's, but minus the gravely undertones.

Edward's voice was plush velvet, and some instinct deep inside of Bella was triggered when he spoke.

_What the hell was that_? She thought silently.

"Leave it," he said simply, popping the toothpick back in.

"Excuse me?" Bella shook her head and stepped towards him. She may have been slightly entranced by him, but not enough to miss him clearly overruling her order.

Bella hated it when people overruled her. She'd almost been cited for contempt of court on one occasion, because she insisted on arguing with a judge who overruled almost every objection she made during a trial.

"We have other collections to make, Miss, and you're wasting our time. If you had bothered to listen to my partner Emmett's explanation, you would have heard him tell you that we are the new recycling company that your HOA hired to handle the recycling for your community. We do not use the yellow bins. Our bins are blue. We also do not take recycling that hasn't been separated by the homeowner. So this situation is your fault, not ours. And your rudeness is uncalled for."

Edward's entire statement was delivered with the utmost calm and control. Bella was a bit mesmerized; so while it should have been her turn to speak, Emmett beat her to it.

"Edward, this is officially your battle now. I'm just gonna sit, and wait for the dust to settle after she clocks your ass." He lowered himself and took a set on the curb, waiting for Bella to release a furious assault on Edward.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but that's not the way I operate, big guy." Bella retorted.

Emmett chuckled, "Are you sure, because you looked like you were ready to knee me in the nuts a few minutes ago."

Bella heard Emmett's playful taunt, but she never took her eyes off of Edward. Not because his eyes were an amazingly accurate shade of the most perfectly ripened Granny Smith Apple, but because she wanted him to see the depths of her determination to make him pay for speaking to her that way.

"C-E-S," Bella read the lettering on the side of the truck slowly. "Would you like to tell me what that stands for, or would you like for me to show you what a wonderful little detective I can be when I find out the name of your company, and speak to you boss about everything that has gone on here today."

She could hear snickering from Emmett in the background, but she continued to ignore him.

"It's Cullen…C-U-L-L-E-N, Environmental Sanitation." Edward spoke in the same low even tone he'd been using since he exited the truck, but this time he didn't remove his toothpick. "You might want to write that down."

"I think I can remember. Thank you." Bella took a half step back, because for some reason, his calm demeanor had begun to bother her.

"Now, I'm going to need your full names."

Emmett's background snicker turned into a full on gut busting laugh at Bella's last request.

"Dude…please, let me go first…please dude, I'm begging you." He could barely catch his breath to get the ridiculous request out.

_What difference did it make who went first_, Bella thought. The outcome for both would be the same. She was sure of it.

"No Em, I think our accuser should go first. After all she already knows the name of the company; it won't be hard to find out who we are. But we don't know anything about her…aside from the fact that she's an attorney who can't be bothered to attend her HOA meetings. So, Ms…"

"Swan…Bella Swan. I don't have problem telling you my name, Mr…"

"Mason…Edward Anthony Mason." Edward extended his hand, and Bella ignored it.

"And you are…" she turned to Emmett and he jumped to his feet, acting out an elaborate bowing motion and tipping an imaginary hat.

"Emmett McCarty…Cullen, at your service." His eyes were full of restrained laughter and mischief, and Bella instantly felt that the two men had been making a fool out of her the whole time. Her face flamed with her outrage and embarrassment.

"Edward and I are the co-owners and operator of CES, so we'll save you the trouble of making a call to our boss."

Emmett laughed as he picked up her recycling, and loaded it into the truck, yellow bin and all. "We'll take your stuff today, but from now on, you're going to have to use the appropriate containers on the appropriate days."

He pulled a slightly bent business card from the pocket of his coveralls. "You can come down to the warehouse on Monday and pick some up."

Bella forcefully took the card, but Emmett left his hand extended to Bella, in a gesture of friendship.

With a grunt and a roll of her eyes, she turned her back to him.

Emmett shrugged his shoulders as he rubbed his hands on the pocket of his coveralls to remove any traces of dirt that may have offended her.

Emmett was a man large in both size and compassion, so when Bella snubbed his attempt at reconciliation, his feelings took an obvious hit. And while his face still held a little trace of the smile he had worn moments before, to Edward, it was obvious that her disrespect hurt.

With all of the cheerfulness gone from him, Bella watched Emmett make his way back to the truck, and she felt the almost foreign pang of guilt for the way she was behaving.

Before she could think of trying to make amends, she turned to find a very stern green apple gaze staring back at her. "You hurt his feelings," Edward said dryly.

"I-I…y-you…h-he…" She was stammering.

Bella Swan, who stood before judges and juries and never lost her composure, was rendered speechless by one look from this man; her tongue and her brain refused to work together in unison.

"It's all right, sweet cheeks," Emmett winked sweetly at her before he opened the door and climbed into the truck. "I'm bruised but not broken…we need to ride Edward. Our schedule is going to be completely fucked if we don't get a move on."

Edward nodded and removed the toothpick from his mouth. Bella knew he was preparing to speak, but she did not expect what came next.

His brow was furrowed, and he looked only at the ground as he took a step in her direction. He was close enough to reach out and touch her, but he didn't invade her personal space, and in that moment, Bella couldn't decide how she felt about that.

"I hope that I am not overstepping my boundaries here, but I feel the need to say something…may I?"

Bella nodded, and found herself leaning in towards him involuntarily. She didn't know what he was going to say, but something inside of her knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she missed even one word of it.

"It's a shame," he shook his head back and forth infinitesimally and slowly raked his eyes up from her bare feet all the way up to her bed head, where her hair stuck up in several different directions.

Self consciously, Bella ran her fingers through her hair, and wished that she'd taken a moment to make herself more presentable, and god help her, had time to brush her teeth!

"Stop," Edward spoke softly and the tips of his fingers gently touched the back of her wrist where her hand tugged at the bottom of her t-shirt. "You are a very attractive woman, Bella Swan…it's the ugliness inside that's fucking up the package."

Toothpick in.

Case closed.

Ten seconds later, Bella was alone with her mouth slightly agape, and her thoughts completely in shambles.

***

For the second time in as many days, Bella was willing her feet to move.

The street was starting to come to life, and she didn't want her neighbors to find her standing in the middle of it, in her pajama's, looking like a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

_Attractive…with ugly insides_, Edward's comments echoed inside of her head.

_He's a sanitation worker for Christ sake. Who gives a damn what he thinks…you earn more in a month than he probably earns all year. He doesn't know anything about you._

Regardless of what her mind was saying, Bella felt like he knew everything about her, and his words definitely struck a chord; they stung, in a way that only one other persons words ever had.

In the few moments that his eyes had held hers, she felt like he'd scanned her entire life.

All of her failures and scars, everything she'd worked so hard to hide from the rest of the world; all of it running free inside of the mind of this complete stranger.

Bella was ten seconds away from curling up into a little ball right there in the middle of the street when she heard the rhythmic pounding of feet on the pavement approaching her from behind.

"Morning stranger," Bella turned to find her neighbor, Angela Weber, jogging towards her.

Angela was one of the few remaining singles on the block, and a genuinely good person, who Bella avoided as much as possible.

Angela didn't curse, she didn't drink to excess, and she didn't engage in no-strings-attached sexual romps with coworkers. She had her Masters in Social Work, worked for a non-profit organization in the city, and volunteered with Food and Friends in her spare time.

These were all very good things that shined a very bright spotlight on Bella's own shortcomings whenever she was around her.

The truth was that Bella would have loved to cultivate a friendship with Angela; because whenever she was around, Bella could feel her happiness and it made her want to be happy too. But the flip side of that coin was that the more time they spent together, the more Angela would get to see that Bella was not good like her. She was hard, and driven, and self- centered. Bella didn't spend a whole hell of a lot of time thinking about the plight of those less fortunate than herself.

Bella wanted to like Angela, but the woman was just too…good, and Bella didn't want to taint that goodness with her…well, ugly insides.

Edward's words rang true.

"I haven't seen you in the neighborhood on a Saturday morning in a very long time. Don't you usually work on Saturdays?" Angela asked, taking a moment to stretch out her hamstrings and quads.

"Yeah…yeah, I do, but I decided to take a day off. All work and no play and all that."

"That's great," Angela beamed. "I've been meaning to talk to you, but you're almost impossible to get a hold of."

_That's because I screen my calls and don't pick up when I see your number_, Bella thought.

"I just settled a case that kept me buried for the last month, so I have been pretty busy."

"Wow, I hope things are a little less hectic for you now; I know big projects always take a lot out of me. Listen, I kinda hate to bring this up…knowing how busy you are…."

_Then don't, _Bella silently pleaded. _I don't want to have to say no to you…again._

"But I promised Ben that I would ask….you know he's in the legal field too, right?"

"Sure, he works for the Justice Department?" Bella answered.

"Yeah, and he's been pulling together a group of young attorneys who would be willing to donate a few hours each week to do free legal counseling at some of the areas Family Support Centers, and he wanted to know if maybe you, or some of the attorneys at your firm…"

"I don't know Angela. Things are really crazy over there right now. Couldn't I just write him a check or something?"

"I don't think so," Angela giggled. "This isn't really a money thing. It's ok if you can't. He'll understand. I just had to ask…you know how boyfriends can be."

"No, actually, I don't."

It just slipped out, and Bella resisted the urge to slap a hand over her mouth. She would have never allowed that sentence to be spoken out loud if it weren't for the precarious emotional state that she'd been in since last night.

And now Angela was giving her the look. The one that said "Oh, how I pity you, you poor lonely woman."

"I guess your busy schedule doesn't allow much time for dating, huh?" Angela asked with her eyes still full of pity.

"No, I guess it doesn't." Bella fidgeted. She needed to find a way to end this conversation as quickly and kindly as possible.

"You know Ben has a few single friends. Maybe he could set something up…a double date or something."

With that sentence, all of Bella's concerns about being kind went out the window. "No, Angela, absolutely not," she said sternly. "And I think we've gabbed enough about my personal life. You should get back to your run."

Angela was taken aback by Bella's tone, but in true "good person" style, she bounced back quickly.

"You're right. My heart rate has dipped long enough. Please enjoy your day off, Bella…you deserve it."

Bella watched her neighbor jog away, and she thought about the fact that Angela was the second person she'd needlessly verbally bitch slapped that day, and it wasn't even noon.

_This is all Jacob's fault_, she thought.

If it weren't for his inability to keep his dick in check, she would be at work right now with him. He would probably be in jeans and button down nursing his second or third cup of coffee. There would be files spread all over his desk. He'd be typing on his laptop, and something jazzy would be playing softly in the background, probably Miles…_and Jessica would be under his desk swallowing his cock during the piano solo._

Bella gagged at the thought.

_You don't need him,_ she reminded herself. _You drive a beautiful car, and you live in a beautiful house, in a great neighborhood. The Nation's Capital is your fucking backyard…you are Bella fucking Swan, and there is nothing wrong with you._

Bella mentally repeated her usual pep talk until she was in her kitchen looking down at the now crumpled business card of Cullen Environmental Sanitation that lay on the marble top of her kitchen's center island.

His number was the first one listed, followed by Emmett's.

Bella couldn't stop herself from thinking about the big guy. He was just an over grown teddy bear, and Bella had needlessly wounded him.

That thing…that slippery thing that had begun to fall last night after she found Jacob…that thing that she had managed to pull back into place just before she lost her shit…began to slip again, the tiniest bit.

_You are Bella fucking Swan. You are smart and successful and attractive… "and fucking ugly on the inside."_

She gasped, because the voice that had started out as her own had morphed into a crystal clear echo of his.

"Fuck you," she hissed through her teeth at the faceless voice. "There is nothing wrong with me…there is nothing wrong with me…there is nothing wrong with me."

She hoped against hope that if she repeated it enough times that it'd be true.

**A/N: Dayum! Is my Edward blunt or what? I love a man that says what he means and means what he says; and if he's hot and sweaty and suckin on a toothpick as the same time I call that Christmas.**

**Don't forget to hit my blog for teasers and bitchy/naughty ramblings…links on the profile.**

**Now, review and I will send Edward and Emmett to your house to collect your recyclables…and before you ask, NO, they cannot recycle your panties!**


	4. Renaissance Man

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who love recycleward, and even to those of you who said "WTF?" I promised you there was more to him than that, and here it is. I had to take the scenic route to get you there…but don't keep asking "are we there yet?" Just sit back and enjoy the ride!**

Chapter Three

Renaissance Man

Going into the office was the best thing for her. That's what she told herself as she made the twenty minute drive from her suburban Virginia home to her downtown office. Saturday had amounted to about as much unproductive down time as one person could squeeze into a day, lying on the sofa watching marathon episodes of reality TV and downing enough carbs to fuel a twelve mile hike through the Shenandoah Valley, was completely out of character for Bella.

Other women may lie around and mourn the loss of…whatever she'd lost with Jacob, but that wasn't the way Bella was going out.

So the morning started with intensive cardio to burn off all the crap she consumed the day before, and by 8:30 am, Bella was crossing the threshold of the elevator onto the twelfth floor and retracing the steps she'd taken after walking in on…. Jacob and Jessica_…how disgustingly sweet their names sounded together_. Bella hoped that Jessica was secretly carrying a raging case of mouth herpes and that she'd left ole Jake with a gift that would keep on giving.

There was the possibility that Jacob would also be in the office that morning, but Bella dismissed the momentary concern that tugged at her gut. The fact was that they worked together on the same floor, and they would need to see and interact with each other on fairly regular basis. Sure Jacob was a few rungs ahead of Bella on the Jr. Partner ladder, and he happened to play marathon games of poker with some of the senior partners every week—games that the lone female at the Jr. Partner level was never invited to.

But Jacob wasn't in any position to really damage her career— he could, however, make her life at Spriggs and Hollingsworth…uncomfortable if she didn't handle things just right.

Mentally Bella rattled off a list of the most pressing matters that she needed to attend to. There wasn't a lot that needed her immediate attention, a few correspondents to review, a request for disclosure to draft, the work that she needed to do really wouldn't take longer than an hour, and most of it could have been left until Monday, when her paralegal could see to it, but there was no one better then Bella at creating work were none existed. She called it being dutiful and conscientious, but what it really amounted to, was an age old technique of avoidance. She would stay busy—all day if she had to. Her mind would not be allowed to return to the Jacob v. Bella episode of Friday, or to the Bella Swan v. Edward Mason smack down of Saturday.

Throwing herself into work did not require much effort, and before she knew it, Bella had worked a steady three hour stretch, and 11:30 seemed like the perfect time to put some effort into finding food. There were any number of places that she could call for delivery, and she had the bottom left hand draw of her desk full of take-out menus to prove it.

Asian was always a favorite choice whenever she and Jacob worked late nights or weekends, and that is why the first four menus' she picked up went directly into the shredder beneath her desk.

The next option was Mexican, and Enrique's had the best guacamole and handmade tortillas in the area—_and Jacob always ordered his Mole sauce on the side when we ate there_…shred.

El Pollo Rico's had the only sweet corn cake worthy of the name—_and Jacob would usually eat three servings whenever we went_…shred.

Robbie Kabob and Taste of Tandoor, both had amazing Tandoori Chicken, and Curried Cabbage—and both _are in walking distance of Jacobs's condo, and the staff knows us by name_…shred.

A couple of nearby pizza joints, and the greasy burger hut, were all that Bella was left with.

"Fuck you very much, Jacob. I can't even feed myself thanks to you." Bella simultaneously slammed her bottom draw, and tugged on the top draw, searching for anything edible that she might consume to sate her growing hunger.

Four Jolly Ranchers and a pack of Lance Crackers later, she was forced to admit defeat. There were still items on her to-do-list that she could stretch to fill her day, but with no possibility of being able to feed herself if she stayed, she knew she needed to leave, to go home…alone…to her empty house.

_You could go to Jacob's house; he's probably just coming back from a run. He's probably shirtless, and sweaty and just about to step into the shower. You could be naked and in his bed eating a chicken kabob and Basmati rice within an hour. You know you want to, and it would be so easy; let's just call it… "One for the road"._

She didn't know if it was the thought of the kabobs and rice or the thought of Jacob naked and wet that had her salivating, but her lips were definitely getting moist.

"This is pathetic." Bella spat. Jacob didn't have this much control over her before, yet now she couldn't seem to function normally. She couldn't eat, or sleep, or work, without thoughts of him invading her mind.

Immediately, Bella got to her feet and forcefully threw her things into her bag. She would stop somewhere and get food on her way home…better yet, she would cook. She would stop at the market and get everything she needed to make herself lunch; chicken or a nice piece of salmon, veggies, and a bottle of wine. She thought for a moment about making a list, but decided that waiting to see what looked good at the store was a better option.

The thought of cooking a whole meal just for one, really didn't fill her with glee, but it was better than sitting in an overcrowded restaurant amongst the couples at brunch. A lone single in a room full of pairs. That was even less appealing than cooking for one.

So with her laptop case slung over her shoulder, she undocked her iPod and grabbed her cell phone just as it started to ring.

"Alice, what can I do for you?" Bella answered without bothering to say hello or look at the display screen. There was never a need to inquire when the "Punky Brewster" theme song began. Alice's obsession with '80's pop culture really knew no bounds.

"No, my dearest, best friend in the whole wide world, it is not what you can do for me, it is what I can do for you. Where are you right now…no, no, don't answer that, because if you say that you're at your office, I'll scream."

"I'm at my office, Alice."

Bella pulled the phone away from her ear just in time to avoid permanent hearing loss, and when she returned to the line there was a mildly annoyed male voice chastising Alice.

"I'm sorry, Jas, but I told her not to say it…see what you did, Bella, now Jasper's gone all grumpy puss."

"I don't see how that is my fault, Alice. Screaming like a crazy woman was your choice." Bella looked at her watch and wondered how long it would take for Alice to get to the point. Whole Foods could get crowded on Sundays, and Bella hated crowds…especially grocery store crowds.

"Well, when my best friend is an overachieving workaholic, who hasn't made time to see me in weeks, what type of reaction do you expect from me?"

"Don't exaggerate, Alice, I saw you last week."

"You met me for a quick 20 minute lunch, during which, you made three phone calls and checked your emails twice, and then you spent the rest of the time complaining about the limp lettuce in your salad."

"Well, now that I've settled the Newton case, I am sure I will be able to make a bit more time for you."

Bella had to move the phone away from her ear again to buffer Alice's squeal. "Oh, Bella, why didn't you tell me? Congratulations, how did you manage to get the cheeky bastard to pay up?"

"Let's just say he likes his after hour activities with a…Twist." Bella smirked to herself.

"Oooh, this has juicy written all over it. Now I demand some real girl time. Today, dammit."

"What about Jasper? Don't you two have to spend the day gazing into each other's eyes or arguing about who loves who more? Or is today the day he paints your toe nails and reads you poetry?"

"Bella, what's the matter? I mean I know you can be a bitch, but you usually save that for the dickheads you work with. Why are you getting all 'mean girl' with me?"

Bella sighed and tried not the choke on the stench of déjà vu that was permeating her office.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I've been verbally assaulting almost everyone I've come in contact with since yesterday. Poor sweet Angela was just trying to get me to help her little boyfriend with some charity thing, and I basically told her to mind her own damn business and be on her way."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, sweet little Angela…and she's so damn nice she didn't even call me out on my rudeness…unlike the garbage man."

"You cussed out your garbage man?" Alice snickered. "What'd he do, leave your trash can in front of someone else's house? Because I really hate it when they do that."

"No, it was the recycling man actually. And I screwed up their new system or something…anyway I mouthed off and I hurt the guy's feelings, and then his partner and I had words, and I really don't want to talk about it anymore."

Almost noon, Bella glanced at her watch, again. If this home cooking thing was going to happen, she needed to be on her way, now. Soon the Jesus freaks would be rolling into Whole Foods to do their weekly after church marketing. Not to mention all the moms that would be there with their screaming brats, and the greedy moochers who came in just to scarf down the free samples—because everyone knew that Sunday was the best day for the freebees.

"So was there a reason for your call…other than to remind me that I'm a shitty friend?"

"You're not a shitty friend, and there was a reason for my call. Have you eaten yet?"

Bella did a rapid weighing of the pros and cons of a home cooked meal, and decided that "do-it-yourself" was overrated.

"I was just thinking about grabbing a bite. Did you have something in mind?"

"Tabard Inn, in about 30 minutes…is Jacob with you? I know you guys usually work together on weekends."

At times like this, there was a tendency to want to spill your guts. When a door is opened and an opportunity presented itself, there was sometimes the temptation to become a volcano, purging and spewing all your deepest darkest secrets.

"No, Jacob isn't with me." Bella would not be falling into that trap.

"Ok, so let's have brunch, and then maybe a little shoe shopping. I have an occasion coming up that will require a strappy sandal."

"Why does your emphasis on the word "occasion" make me nervous?"

"Silly, Bella," Alice giggled, "all will be revealed at brunch, so don't be late."

The call ended, and Bella made her way to a good meal with zero sentimental attachments—Jacob had never taken her to Tabard's.

***

"I can never decide between the quiche and the eggs Benedict."

"You always get the quiche."

"I know but that's why I think I should probably try something else…break up the monotony. What's that dish you like so much?"

"The scrambled eggs?"

"Yeah…maybe I'll try those…oh, and they put sour cream and chives in them…mmm, that sounds really good. But I do love the crab and sweet corn that they put in the quiche…how is the chorizo sausage that comes with the scrambled eggs?"

"Fine"

"Fine…or good."

"It's good…it's perfectly fine…it's sausage."

"I haven't eaten all day, and I don't want to waste my first meal on something that's just fine."

"OK, it's the best damn sausage I've ever eaten…there, is that better?"

"But it's probably not better than the quiche."

"So get the quiche"

"But I always get the quiche."

Bella placed her hand over the edge of Alice's menu and pulled it down so that she could meet her best friend's eyes.

"We have been here for twenty minutes, and the waiter has been around to take our order twice. I'm starving, so decide what you want before my blood sugar drops any lower."

"I just need more time, I don't want…"

"Have you ladies decided?" The waiter returned, and he was professionalism personified, but right around the edges, Bella could sense his annoyance with Alice's procrastination.

"Yes."

"No."

The two spoke at once in a show of unified discord, and Bella sneered at Alice and snatched her menu way, "I will have the scrambled eggs with pumpernickel toast, and my dear friend will have the quiche." She closed both menus before gently handing them to their waiter, who wrote nothing down.

"Very good, Madame," he gave Bella a grateful nod, before hurrying away to put in their orders.

"Now talk."

"OK," Alice beamed. "I take it you haven't read the Sunday paper yet…the style section to be exact."

"No, I scanned the front page online when I got to the office this morning, but that was about it. Are you in it? Have you created another 'must have beauty look' for one of your clients?"

Every season it seemed that Alice was one step ahead of every other beauty consultant when it came to the "what's hot" and the "what's not". Alice Brandon didn't follow trends, she created them. And everyone from Hollywood celebrities to politicians' wives waited for weeks just to get an appointment with her at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon.

"Of course I have," she giggled. "Just wait until you see the new look I'm coming up with for fall. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not in the paper this time…Jasper is." Alice reached into her oversized bag and threw down the folded newspaper, which Bella immediately grabbed up.

"Iris In," Bella read the title and began scanning the article that featured no photos of Jasper the man, but two very heartwrenching photos of wounded soldiers that Bella recognized right away. She'd seen Jaspers work dozens of times and always wondered how long it would take for the rest of the world to get a chance to marvel in his greatness.

The debate at the Pentagon had gone on for months. Photos of wounded soldiers were never good PR for the government, and Jasper was catching a lot of hell for his attempts to exhibit his work. He wasn't doing it on behalf of the military or as a part of any political agenda whatsoever. Jasper just wanted people to see…and apparently, now they would.

"He's showing at the Public House tomorrow? Alice, that's fantastic! Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"We didn't know if it was really going to happen. The military only granted the release last week, and we've been busy dealing with all the last minute details." Alice was beaming. "I'm so proud of him, Bella. He came up against so many road blocks, you know, but he never gave up."

"This is unbelievable news, Alice." Bella continued to scan the paper. "It says the exhibit will feature photos and paintings…I didn't know Jasper painted as well."

"Oh, he doesn't. The showing is actually a collaborative effort with Jasper and one of the artists he volunteers with at the Boys and Girls Club. Apparently, the guy has been big news in the underground scene for years. Jasper has finally been able to convince him to come out of the shadows. I've never met him, but I've seen his work, and it complements Jasper's photos really well."

"Well, I can't wait to see it then."

"So you'll come?" Bella folded the paper and handed it back to Alice to make room for their food, which had just arrived.

"Of course I'll come, and I insist on taking you and Jasper out to celebrate after. My treat."

Alice was placing her napkin in her lap as she spoke "Do you think Jacob will come with you?"

Bella was silent as the waiter ground a light dusting of pepper over her eggs. "Enjoy your meal, ladies, and my name is Trevor if there's anything else that you need."

Bella nodded as he departed before finally answering Alice's question.

"No," was her simple response, before she turned her attention to buttering her toast.

"Oh…that's too bad. Do you think he might be able to meet us for dinner after?"

"No."

"Well, what about for drinks," Alice was perplexed by Bella's short responses and sudden obsession with slathering every surface of her toast with butter and orange marmalade.

"No."

"You're acting weird, Bella, did something happen between you and Jacob? Is that why you were all bitchy on the phone earlier? I know…I'll bet you two had a fight…I'll bet he's jealous that you settled the Newton case."

"He's not jealous." Bella didn't know if she should say it, but she didn't know how much longer she could hold out either. All the questions…all this talk about Jacob. Why couldn't Alice just shut up about him and eat her damn quiche.

"You two are so competitive, I don't know if it's entirely healthy for your relationship."

It was a good thing their table had a wooden top because Bella slammed her palm down with enough force to shatter a weaker material, and with enough suddenness to frighten both Alice and the guests at the next table. "We do not have a relationship," she hissed. "Now please, shut up and eat…please," The plea may have seemed like it was for Alice alone, but a little bit of it was also for the hot moisture that Bella felt pooling at the backs of her eyes. "…Please, can we just eat?"

The tears obeyed and never fell, and the rest of their brunch was conducted in silence. Alice wasn't sure she wanted to risk trying to strike up another conversation for fear that Bella might feel the need to flip the table over if she said the wrong thing.

But strolling down the usually busy street outside the restaurant presented another opportunity. Alice knew better than to jump in with Jacob questions right away, but she figured if she could get Bella to talk about work, the Jacob stuff would find its way out. Bella had never been able to talk about one without mentioning the other.

"Congrats again on the Newton Case. How did you manage to nail his balls to the wall anyway?" Alice held her breath for the half minute it took Bella to answer.

"I needed to prove that he was violating the prenup with his 'extracurricular activities'. I suspected that he was having an affair, but I never thought my P.I. would manage to get pictures of him escorting two young gentlemen from Twist one night."

"The gay night club," Alice slapped Bella's shoulder. "Get. Out. I can't believe that…then again, Jasper and I met him once, at a DoD banquet, and he did hold Jaspers handshake a bit too long."

"Alice…" Bella rolled her eyes.

"What…he did. And I think he might have winked at him too."

"He did not. You just think almost everyone Jasper meets wants to get in his pants."

"Believe me, Bella, if you knew what was in there, you'd think that too. Right before I called you this morning I had to soak in the Jacuzzi tub for an hour after he…"

"Stop," Bella threw up her hands. "I do not want to hear about Jasper's…"

"…I believe the words that you are looking for are _mammoth cock_."

"Ew…that is not what I was going to say, and quit licking your lips like a two dollar whore." Bella sneered but with an underlying smile that told Alice her wall was coming down.

Alice could always be counted on to lighten the mood, and Bella was very thankful for that. But she was also hip to Alice's scheme to get her to talk about work as a way of getting her to open up about Jacob. A big part of Bella was embarrassed to have to share the events of that night with another person, but she also knew it was inevitable. Alice would find out eventually. Why not right now?

"If you promise to kill all the noise about Jasper's well endowments, then I'll tell you what happened with Jacob…it kinda ties into the Newton case anyway."

"Oh my god…"Alice stopped in her tracks. "Jacob was one of the guys Mike was leaving the club with!"

"Damn it, Alice, no…now will you stop interrupting?"

"Sorry, please proceed…Mike Newton is on the down low and you found out…"

"Yes…and I was thrilled to be able to put that case behind me and I wanted to celebrate, so I decided to order some food and surprise Jake."

Bella paused because she could feel the emotions of that night just as if she'd been magically transported back in time. The pride, the excitement, the happiness and the lust. It was all so raw, more raw than she expected.

"That sounds nice…"Alice prompted her to continue.

"It might have been, but Jacob was a little too busy fucking his secretary's face to care about celebrating with me."

Alice's mouth hung open like a Venus Fly Trap, as she pulled her friend to a stop. Bella could feel her face growing warm with embarrassment, and she wished Alice would stop gawking at her and just keep walking. She just wanted to keep going…to get it out…to be done with it.

"So they were…"

"Yup, right there on his desk." Bella shrugged her shoulders.

Alice was quick and Bella didn't have time to enact evasive maneuvers before she was pulled in for the sympathy hug. "Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice whispered.

Extracting herself from her friends embrace wasn't easy. Alice hugged tighter than any woman her size had a right to. But Bella took firm hold of her shoulders anyway.

"Don't, Alice," she pushed. "Don't turn this into some chick flick bonding moment. It's not that big of a deal."

"How can you say that?" Alice released her hug, but insisted on looping their arms together as they resumed their walk. For Bella, it was a barely acceptable compromise.

"Things happen, Alice. We can't all be hopelessly devoted like you and Jasper…Don't take that the wrong way. I'm thrilled that you and Jasper have each other, but Jacob and I were never that serious."

"Never that serious…you and Jacob have been together almost as long as Jasper and I…you were inseparable. How can you say you weren't that serious?"

Eleven months and all he ever left at her apartment were some CD's, a few books, and an old jacket. There was nothing at his place that belonged to her. He never met her father, and other than the pictures he kept on display, his family was a mystery to her. He wanted to leave a toothbrush and maybe a change of clothes or two, but Bella couldn't spare the space. He wanted to take her home to meet his father and his sisters in Hawaii, but Bella couldn't take the time away from…something. At that moment she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was.

"_I can't get fucking close to you. You're like some kind of goddamn robot…oh you're hot enough in the sack, damn hot in fact, but anything else, anything real…beyond the physical, and you turn into this frigid ice queen." _Jacob's words were hurtful, and Jacob's words were cruel. Jacob's words were also true.

"I know what it looked like, Alice, but trust me, we were never that serious."

Luck was on Bella's side when a shiny new pair of Steward Weitzman sandals caught Alice's eye around the next block because all talk of Jacob took a back seat to trying to find the perfect pair of shoes for Jasper's debut. Bella joined her in trying on pair after pair until both women left the store with bank accounts that were several hundred dollars lighter than when they came in.

And the good luck continued when she didn't think about Jacob anymore for the rest of that day, and he wasn't the first thing on her mind the next morning when she woke up. In fact, she didn't think about him at all, until she walked into the conference room for the weekly partners meeting.

_Damn Catherine Brenner and her never ending, completely unnecessary phone calls._ Bella was usually one of the first people seated around the table waiting for the meeting to begin. Today, thanks to Chatty Cathy, Bella was the last, and the only open seat left was directly across from…him.

In a charcoal grey suit and cobalt blue tie that Bella had never seen before, he didn't look at her, he just began clapping…everyone in the room did, as the applause that started at the front of the room, where Mr. Hollingsworth Sr. was positioned, quickly spread and echoed off the walls of the conference room.

"The woman of the hour, Isabella…congratulations," Mr. Hollingsworth gave her a look that read as a bit constipated, which was the closest he ever came to a smile.

He grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously as he announced, "Last week, Isabella brought in the largest divorce settlement for the firm so far this year. We are very proud of you, Isabella, and very pleased with the outcome of the Newton case. Very pleased indeed."

Bella thanked him and took her seat while all eyes were on her…all except the dark brooding ones that stayed glued to the front of the room.

Mr. Hollingsworth proceeded on to the next order of business and the meeting continued for its usual time span of sixty minutes. It felt more like six hundred.

He didn't try to look at her or talk to her, but Bella could feel…something, from him, and it wasn't until the end of the meeting that Jacob finally made his move. A note, written on a sheet of yellow legal pad paper and folded, god knows how many times, was dropped into her lap as everyone exited the room. Her head had been down, gathering papers when it landed right on top of the Brenner file that she was balancing on her knee. Bella immediately knew the source.

_What are we, in 2nd grade?_

Don't open it…open it…she didn't waste time with internal conflicts.

_Hoping you had some time to think about things over the weekend._

_Want to speak with you…in private…today._

_Make time._

_Jacob._

Bella wished there were shredder under the conference table, but she settled for a few quick tears and the wastebasket by the door.

She was in her office at 1:00 when Jacob came by the first time.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black, she's on an overseas call, and she has asked me to hold all visitors," her assistant told him.

And when he came back at 3:00...

"Ms. Swan is preparing for a meeting and cannot be disturbed."

And when he came back at 5:00…

"Ms. Swan has an engagement this evening, and she asked that no one disturb her so that she can be sure to leave on time."

This time, Jacob did not depart without leaving a message loud enough for Bella to hear. "Please tell Ms. Swan that the matter I need to discuss with her needs to be addressed sooner rather than later and that I expect to see her in my office first thing tomorrow morning."

There were a lot of things that Bella planned to do tomorrow, and strolling down to Jacobs Black's office wasn't one of them. She smirked to herself as she gathered her things. _We will meet Mr. Black, but when we do, it will be on my turf…not yours._

***

Bella couldn't remember the last time she'd arrived home so early on a weeknight. It was just after 6pm and a lot of the driveways on her street were still empty. There were also a lot of trash and recycle containers still on the sidewalks waiting to be brought in after the day's pick up.

Recycling

Bella groaned, remembering that she had yet to pick up her new CES approved recycling containers. She looked at the digital read out on her dashboard. There was no way to make it across town to their warehouse and get back home in time to change for Jaspers debut.

_Tomorrow…I'll pick them up tomorrow._ It would mean leaving work early again. Bella just hoped that the dynamic duo wouldn't get their panties in a bunch and report her to the not-so-friendly neighborhood HOA over her continued lack of compliance.

With another problem momentarily put on the back burner, Bella grabbed her own oversized trash can, and was in the process of dragging it to her garage door, when she was stopped in her tracks.

A red bin…a black bin…and a yellow one, neatly stacked and positioned against Bella's garage door. There was an envelope taped to the outside bin, and her name was written in the simple script.

_Bella Swan_

There was no one about, but that didn't stop Bella from looking around for the source of the…gift seemed like the wrong word.

Into the garage went the old trash can and the new recycling bins, but Bella took the envelope into the house to read its contents. Once inside, she opened it and found two sheets of paper. One appeared to be a schedule of pick-up dates and times along with a list of the appropriate recyclable materials to put out on each day. The second was a full sheet of paper with only two words, written in the same hand:

_You're Welcome_

Bella flipped the paper over and over, but that was all there was.

Two words.

She removed the pin from the corkboard next to the refrigerator and pulled down the card that had been stuck underneath. She dialed and a female voice answered after two rings.

"May I speak with Emmett Cullen, please?" There was classic rock playing during the wait time, and it made Bella remember the bandana and the toothpick. She was grateful when music was gone and a deep masculine voice was on the line in its place.

"Emmett Cullen," he sounded older over the phone and a lot less…large.

"Mr. Cullen, my name is Bella Swan, and you and I met on Saturday, while you were collecting the recycling in my neighborhood. I'm not sure if you remember…"

There was laughter and he sounded like the overgrown teddy bear again. "Of course I remember you, Ms. Swan. I guess no one's ever told you that you make quite a lasting first impression."

"Yes, well, I probably need to apologize for that. I was a bit sleep deprived and overworked, and…well there is really no good excuse for my behavior."

"No sweat, my wife and I have a new baby, so I know all about sleep deprivation…now, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to thank you…though, by the tone of your note, you probably have very little faith in my ability to use good manners."

There was silence, and Bella thought maybe she'd been put on hold again, but there was no classic rock.

"I have to tell you, Ms. Swan, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Please, call me Bella, and I'm talking about the recycling bins and the note you left outside of my house today."

He could have said "that guy," but it was also possible that he'd said "that's why," he was mumbling, so Bella couldn't really be sure. She was, however, very sure of what he said next…

"I'm sorry Bella, but that wasn't me…that was Edward."

***

There was a crowd. Nothing too over the top, but just enough of a gathering to let Bella know that Jasper's first showing would be a rousing success. The valet exchanged her keys for a claims ticket, and Bella took a moment to watch the people through the large bay window that faced the street.

The Public House was a recently restored, large early 1900's brownstone, which had set derelict for decades. Thanks to the new revitalize our nation's capital initiative, The Public House had received a well deserved face lift and was now the home of exhibits for local artist as well as bimonthly poetry readings and plays. But tonight was all about Jasper…and his mysterious painter friend.

"Bella, you made it." As if she had been watching the door all night, Alice squealed the moment Bella crossed the threshold, and Bella watched in amusement as her petite, barely five foot tall friend dragged her much more subdued 6 foot 2 inch boyfriend in her direction.

"Look Jasper, its Bella." Alice squeezed Bella into another impossibly tight hug before all but flinging Jasper in her direction.

"You two converse while I go tend to Senator Thompsons wife. She went and bedazzled her damn head with hair jewels after I spent half the morning working on her. Does she even get how insulting that is…like pouring ketchup on prime rib!" Alice huffed and was off before either could offer a salutation.

"Let's start over, shall we? Hello, Bella, you look lovely tonight, thank you so much for coming."

"You are very welcome." Bella giggled. "And you look surprisingly subdued for being in the spotlight all night."

"I think the fact that I get to share the attention makes it a bit easier...although my cohort has been suspiciously absent for a while. Have you had a chance to check out any of his paintings?" Jasper motioned to the walls opposite of where they were standing.

"Your little Tasmanian devil girlfriend accosted me the moment I hit the door. I haven't even looked at _your_ stuff yet."

"You've seen my photos a thousand times, refresh your memory if you need to, but I suggest you leave plenty of time to check out his work too."

There was a frantic waving from the back of the room, which caught Jaspers attention. "I hate to leave you on your own Bella, but there are some people I need to speak with."

"No worries, Jasper, I'm sure Alice will find her way back to me…if she doesn't end up giving poor Mrs. Thompson a complete "What Not to Wear" makeover." She kissed his cheek and sent him on his way.

Jasper was right, of course. Bella had seen most of the photos on display a thousand times but never in this setting, and never in their complete context. These were photos of injured soldiers that didn't just focus on the brutality of the injury, they focused on the strength of the individual. The shots of the families, standing side by side with their loved ones while they pushed through hour after hour of grueling rehabilitation, were captivating.

_Only Jasper_, Bella thought to herself about the man who was uniquely qualified to bring each of these stories to life through pictures.

A painting of an American flag seemed none too out of the ordinary considering the subject matter of the photos on display that night. So Bella was curious about the crowd that had gathered around a very well done, but seemingly mundane painting of old glory.

"How much time must have gone into this?" One woman remarked.

"It's outstanding, simply outstanding. The way the light catches. You would never know until you were right up close…" A man added.

"A spectacular illusion…so well done." Bella heard someone say when she was closer and the crowd had parted enough for her to see.

There was a seamless blending of the red, the white, and the blue, that gave the flag the look of being battle worn, but it shone and glittered in places that made it ethereal and it wasn't until Bella was standing just a few inches from it that she realized why.

Dog Tags…hundreds and hundreds, maybe even thousands of Dog Tags.

"He was a real pain in the ass to be around when he was working on this," a beautiful blonde woman, about Bella's age commented as she sipped her champagne.

"You know the artist?" Bella asked.

"Cousin…by marriage," she answered. "He's around here somewhere…there. He's the broody one trying to look like he's not hiding behind that large potted plant."

His hair looked darker because the light was not playing off of the hidden copper tones as it was the day she first saw him. There was no bandana so his thick mane stood up in delicious disarray.

The coveralls were gone and had been replaced with dark denim and a nondescript black t-shirt that was neither too tight nor too loose, it just…fit both his body and his aura.

"We tried to tell him he should dress up, but…well that's about as good as it gets. I'm Rosalie by the way." The woman extended her hand.

"Bella," they shook and Rosalie proceeded to walk Bella through a few of the other painting. "So your cousin is an artist…I mean that's what he does for a living." It was possible that there were two exceptionally handsome, copper-haired men who were identical twins running around the city, and Bella had just been blessed, or cursed, enough to have run into them both.

"I would say yes, but he would say no. Technically, he owns and operates a recycling business with my husband Emmett, but we tease him all the time that he's only using it as a legal way to find materials for his art projects. Keeps him from illegally digging through other people's garbage."

Bella looked for him, and he hadn't moved from his sanctioned spot beside the potted plant. His body had not moved, but his eyes were in constant motion. They were following her. She dared not meet his gaze, but she knew he was watching her just the same.

"Would you like for me to introduce you? I promised my husband that I would force him to interact tonight, and you seem harmless enough; not like some of the crazies who want to monopolize him all night with questions about his work. Those people scare him shitless." Rose laughed.

"No…I mean I wouldn't want to bother him." Bella was nervous and it wasn't the kind of nerves you felt when meeting someone new for the first time. These were the nerves that showed up when you're naked and vulnerable, and all your inner ugliness has been laid bare for another person to judge.

"Look at him. Does he look busy to you?" Staring down into his drink, a Martini, judging by the olives, he didn't look busy at all—he looked beautiful. And then his eyes rose up, and his head slowly followed, and both froze the moment they found her.

"It will only take a minute, and you'll be saving me from having to lie to my husband about him standing in the corner all night and not mingling with the guests."

Bella could only nod because she was still held captive by the green gaze and it was pulling her in, so she figured she might as well follow as Rose took her hand.

"Hello, oh reclusive one," Rose greeted him.

"Rosalie." Just a one-word response, but his velvet tones were just as she remembered them.

"You and Jasper ended up with a nice turn out, don't you think?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes," was his only response, and it prompted Rose to roll her eyes.

"Bella, this is Edward Mason. I promise you his vocabulary is usually more multi-syllabic."

"Edward, this is Bella…"

"Swan," she volunteered.

"Yes, Swan," Rosalie smiled. "She was admiring your work, and I thought it might be nice for the two of you to chat. I'm going to call home and check on Emmett and the baby." Rosalie playfully pinched Edwards arm as she turned to leave. "Be nice," she hissed before smiling at Bella and making her exit.

There was a heavy silence that blanketed them. A moment longer and it would have been too much…a moment less…not enough.

"You were at my house today."

"I'm at your house every Monday."

"But you left me something."

Edward shrugged and chewed on one of the olives from his drink.

"I called Emmett."

"Why?"

"Because I thought it was him. I didn't think that you…we didn't get off to a very good start."

Edward shrugged and the second olive followed its mate.

"I guess I should thank you." Bella scanned the room to find something else to focus on other than the…green.

"But you won't." The sound of his voice commanded her to look back.

"You never expected me to. Your note proves it," she challenged.

Edward shrugged, and sipped his drink before placing the now bare toothpick between his teeth.

"Are you going to keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Shrugging your shoulders"

Edward shrugged and Bella turned to walk way.

"You know Jasper." It was a statement, not a question, and it got him what he wanted…she stayed.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw you when you came in," he motioned towards the place, by the door, where Bella had been standing earlier.

"So, what, you've been watching me all night…that's kind of creepy." She took a step back, hoping to lure him away from the plant and out of the shadows.

"I guess I should apologize," he smirked.

"But you won't." One step would bring him closer, but he was not moving.

He took a long sip from his cocktail before he answered….

"No."

**A/N: *stretches and cracks knuckles* Yup…so there you have it. He's a sexy recycle man by day and an even sexier artist by night. Can't you just see him standing in the corner all dark and broody and tipsy…sucking on his toothpick. Yum! Thank you MJ, for your mad beta skills. I thought of you when I added Alice's ringtone…"Punky Power!"**

**The forum over at Twilighted is for RFTT, but I will be posting spoilers and sexy shit over there for this story too. Follow me on Twitter…same name, I spend all day talking shit, it's great.**

**Next chapter is already in the works, so hopefully it won't be too long. And there's A LOT more Edward in it.**

**Now, review and tell me your favorite cocktail and maybe I'll send Edward over to stick a toothpick in it!**


	5. Renaissance Man Part II

**A/N: Welcome back. And howdy, to all the new folks who have just discovered my little ditty. There's a lot more Edward in this chapter, so enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but if I did, that shit would've needed an NC-17 rating…cuz I'm a foul mouthed perv.**

Renaissance Man Part II

"There you are, Bella, I've been looking…oh, and Edward too…well, well, well, looks like I just hit the lost and found lotto." Alice and her impeccable timing, rounded the corner where a standoff was going down between Bella and Edward, both waiting to see who was going to make a move. Bella wanted to know why Edward had been watching her all night, and honestly, Edward wanted to know the same thing.

Bell Swan had been on his mind in one form or another since Saturday's showdown. That day, part of him wanted to douse her with a bucket of cold water and tell her, and her uncalled for rowdiness, to settle down. It was off putting, and unnecessary, and it left him wondering who had fucked her up so completely to have her so worked up over something so inconsequential.

But there was another part of him that would have been happy to douse her with the aforementioned water…just to see her standing before him in a soaking wet t-shirt.

It was unnerving. Edward Mason did not give himself over to these types of reactions anymore. He'd learned, after many years of one night stands and man whoring behavior, that he needed to have a better reign on his lustful side—two cat fights, three broken car windows and a very necessary restraining order, may have also played a part in helping Edward see the light.

Following wherever his dick would lead him was a thing of the past. Two years ago, on the eve of his 30th birthday, Edward Mason had taken a personal vow of celibacy—a vow that he had been completely faithful to; a vow that he had neither questioned nor regretted…until now.

"I've been looking all over for you," Alice grabbed Bella's arm with one hand, and then used her free hand to take hold of Edward. "And Jasper has been looking all over for you, Edward. Now what are the chances that I would find you both hiding out together?"

"We weren't hiding out, Alice," Bella scoffed.

"Oh no…then what were you doing in that dark corner all alone."

"I was hiding," Edward admitted before tossing back the rest of his drink. "…and I believe Ms. Swan was attempting to blow my cover."

"Was she now…my, my, Bella, you do work fast." Alice winked, and the sexual innuendo was not lost on Bella who snatched her arm away in disgust; while Edward tried to apologize with his eyes for his poor choice of words.

"Jasper wanted me to find you, Edward. There's some paper or magazine or something that wants to get a few quotes from you."

Edward's eye darted to the floor nervously. "He knows I didn't want to do any interviews." His hands sought refuge in his hair; running his fingers through and tugging at the strands. Bella felt Alice grip her hand in a squeeze that said "get a load of that sexiness."

"He said to tell you that it was with someone from Children's Corp." Alice shrugged, but apparently that bit of information made all the difference in the world to Edward, because his face was almost instantly uplifted.

"Oh, I'll do that one." The nervous hair pulling ceased and he turned to leave, but not before throwing his trademark toothpick into his empty glass, and depositing them both onto a passing waiter's tray. "Ms. Swan…"

"You can call me Bella." She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice came out too shaky.

"Are you sure," he asked, and Bella responded with the same shoulder shrug that he had used on her. A slight smile played at his lips. "I'll see you later, Bella."

It was a simple statement that was innocent enough on the surface, but Edward knew better. His brow furrowed as he excused himself and went in search of Jasper. He should not have been thinking of ways to be alone with her again…but he was.

Bella had been too dazed by his words to watch him that first day when he walked away from her, but tonight she was fully coherent and unable to stop herself from drinking him in.

It wasn't just the way his jeans both hung on him and hugged him at the same time, or the long, even strides that he took with each step.

It was the way he became the movement—the perfect representation of a purposeful walk. If it was possible to be supremely confident and completely subdued at the same time, then that was how Bella would have described the way Edward moved. It wasn't the overly cocky stride worthy of a man with his good looks and talent, but there was a muted arrogance there, that could not be ignored.

"Will you look at that ass…Bella, I swear if you don't get on that I will bitch slap you into next week." Leave it to Alice to cut through all the poetic ramblings to get right to the chase.

"Cut it out Alice, Edward is…not my type, so drop it."

"The hell you say…not your type," Alice scoffed. "What exactly is it about tall, sexy, talented, and successful that you are objecting to? And how did you end up alone with him in this secluded little spot anyway? I must admit, I am a little disappointed…I wanted to be the one to introduce you two," Alice pouted.

"Fret not sweet, Alice, fate beat you to that two days ago." Bella grabbed a glass of champagne from the passing tray and downed half its contents immediately.

"And would you like to tell me how," Alice tapped her foot.

"Mr. tall, sexy, talented, and successful…is my garbage man.

***

"So what if he's the recycle guy and not the garbage man…and so what if he owns half the company; it's still blue collar, and I don't do blue collar."

"I call bull shit," Alice hissed and she stayed hot on Bella's very stylish, sling back, black patent leather heels as they made their way through the crowd. "I can name at least four guys that you have gone out with that had blue collar jobs."

And if Alice thought hard enough, she could have actually come up with five or six. In the past, Bella had dated guys in every profession from construction workers to corporate CEO's. She'd never been judgmental before, and considering her childhood background, Alice was having a hard time believing that she had suddenly become so shallow.

"I haven't dated anyone outside of my income bracket in a long time, Alice."

"You haven't dated anyone, but Jacob in a long time, and you see how well that turned out." Bella spun around to deal her a cunning retort, but she was left silent, because truth trumps sass any day.

Alice—1, Bella—0

"OK, so maybe it's not the fact that he collects recycling as much as it is the fact that he collect's _my _recycling…it would be like dating my gardener."

"Oh, you are really stretching now, Bella." Alice pulled her to an area close enough to see Jasper and Edward being interviewed, but far enough away so that they would not be overheard. "Look at him, he's hot…you're hot, you're single…he's single. I really don't see what the problem is."

_How about, he thinks I'm ugly on the inside…is that enough of problem for you, Alice?_

"How do you know he's single?" Bella eyed his profile as he was speaking to the reporter, and she found it hard to believe that there wasn't a woman, or for that matter, several women somewhere, warming his bed every night.

"I may have asked Jasper…it may have come up in conversation." Alice shrugged and her eyes roamed around the room guiltily.

"Why would his relationship status come up in a conversation between you and Jasper?"

Alice exhaled loudly and crossed her arms over her chest, "Because I asked, okay? When I met him tonight I just knew you two would hit it off, so I asked Jasper, and he said that he knew for a fact that he was single. So I asked him to….askhimtojoinusfordinnerlater."

"Excuse me…what! You asked him to join us for dinner!"

She was loud…inappropriately so. But the room did not come to a screeching halt the way it would have in the movies. There was an obvious pause in only one conversation, and three sets of eyes were now turned in Bella and Alice's direction.

Edwards brow was furrowed again, maybe in disapproval, because she'd forgotten to use her indoor voice, or maybe in disgust, because she had spoken of the possibility of him joining them for dinner with such contempt.

Bella didn't know the reason for his perplexed expression. All she knew was that she wanted to look away, but she couldn't, and as long as she was staring at him, he was obliged to stare right back.

Bell and Edward standoff…take two.

His attention should have been focused on finishing the interview, but prolonged eye contact with Bella was causing Edward to lose his focus. He unconsciously reached for the toothpick that was no longer in his mouth, and cursed to himself as he remembered tossing it into his empty glass.

His lips were beginning to tingle.

He tried to listen…he thought he heard the woman from CC ask a question, but all he could see was Bella's lips, several feet away, moving at the same time.

Her lips looked full and soft and moist, and the back of his throat began to tickle.

He closed his eyes and quickly tried to compose himself, but when he opened them again, there she was, just as before, the devil in the blue dress sent to tempt him. Everything about her appearance drew him in. He watched as she nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her legs were smooth and toned, and her dress was belted at the tiniest part of her waist, but it hung gracefully over her shapely hips and thighs, and gave just the slightest indication of how luscious her backside was. A nice ass had always been his greatest weakness.

_And that's all this is…this thing with Bella, a momentary weakness. Work through it…it'll pass._

But he had been working through it since Saturday, and the pull had only gotten stronger. He'd thought he was being proactive, dropping those bins off at her house. No need to risk running into her when she came to pick them up at the warehouse. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

And now the revelation that she was best friends with Alice…and Alice lived with Jasper…and Edward and Jasper had become fast friends and had many projects in the works that would require them spending abundant amounts of time together. Their paths were bound to cross.

In short, Edward was screwed by three degrees of separation.

He rubbed his lips together, back and forth to create relief seeking friction, while he nervously patted the pockets of his jeans searching for something to ease the longing, but he came up empty. They were in Rosalie's purse…and where the hell was Rosalie?

Someone was calling his name, but Bella had just pushed her hair back over her shoulder and he could not respond even if he wanted to. Lovely pale pink tinted her cheeks and neck. It was the same blush that had prompted Emmett to call her "sweet cheeks" the day they met, and now Edward wanted to test that theory. One lick would tell him exactly how sweet she was.

His mouth was watering…obscene amounts of wetness were pooling around his tongue, and he had to swallow repeatedly to keep from drooling like an idiot.

"I can finish up here if you need to take a break." Jasper patted him on his shoulder, and he flinched.

"Why don't you step outside…get some air." Jasper pointed him in the direction of the front door, and Edward nodded but hesitated. Fresh air would have been a welcomed distraction, but if he wanted it, he would have to walk right past Bella to get it.

Edward scanned the trays of glasses that past him, looking for the soothing clear liquid, two olives and…a toothpick, that would make that walk a whole hell of a lot easier. But all he came upon was tray after tray of champagne flutes.

He thanked god that Emmett was not there to witness his frenzy as he patted himself down once more. Wallet, keys, cell phone, the entire arsenal of any man's necessities…well, almost any man.

Edward had needs that most men did not. He quickly scanned the room for Rosalie. She was supposed to have his back tonight, but instead she'd disappeared and left him with his worst nightmare.

He surveyed the room again, and Bella wasn't looking at him, and it looked like her position had shifted far enough away from the exit that he could make it without contact…if he moved quickly. And he did, but not quickly enough. In the next few seconds, it became crystal clear to Edward that the universe had declared today "push Edward Mason to very limits of his sanity day."

Someone bumped into someone, who bumped into someone else, who bumped into Bella. That is the way it must have happened, but Edward did not see any of it, he only felt the contact as he passed her.

Just when he thought he was home free…her fingers were touching his fingers…her hand was touching his hand…gently they grazed each other's skin, and it was instinct, pure and simple, that took over as he laced her fingers with his own.

Her responding squeeze was not subtle and neither was his firm and forceful grasp.

All at once, she was by his side and he was leading them both to the door, whether willingly or unwillingly he did not know or care.

They could have been lovers leaving to enjoy a stroll on that humid August night. But they were not. They were relative strangers pulling and being pulled…leading and being led, by something that was more powerful then both their wills combined.

When they reached the door, Edward turned the knob, but Bella walked through first, dropping his hand as soon as they crossed the threshold and his finger immediately twitched at the loss of contact.

"I don't usually take kindly to being manhandled?" she crossed her arms over her chest in a show of annoyance that she didn't quite pull off. "You could have just asked me to step outside."

"Why do you keep staring at me?" he growled. It was harsh, but it was a better opening than… "Would you please allow me to lick you to see if you taste as good as you look."

"Why do you keep staring at _me_?" she hissed back.

"I couldn't help but stare at you"_…because you're infuriatingly beautiful and captivating, and you ignite everything inside of me that I have been warring against for the last two years…_ "because you're loud. I excused it first time we met, but now I can see that your bad manners are more of a habit than a lapse in judgment."

"I wasn't that loud!" Bella's current volume did nothing to help her cause. "And that may explain why _you_ were staring, but it does not explain why you dragged me out here like some cave dwelling Neanderthal…and you say _I_ have no manners?" Bella was advancing as she spoke, coming dangerously close to crossing personal space boundaries, and her closer proximity was the last thing that Edward needed in his fragile state.

"I was just trying to get to the fucking door, and then you touched me and"…_I couldn't help myself…_ "I don't know what happened; your hand felt…nice. Maybe I just wanted the company of a familiar face outside of that room full of strangers."

"You don't like crowds?" Bella wasn't sure if the argument was over, but his tone had softened a bit so she adjusted hers as well.

"Some crowds are okay, but the art world is mostly full of two kinds of people: critics and crazies. I just needed to get way for a few minutes." _The actual goal was to get away from you, but we can see how thoroughly I fouled that up._

"So which are you?" she asked smugly.

"What?"

"A critic or a crazy…which are you?"

Edward knew his answer should have been "crazy." Maybe it would have served as a warning to her, but this was the same woman who'd gone after Emmett like a miniature poodle attacking a pit-bull. Crazy probably turned her on.

"I'm just an artist…whatever that means."

"Well, for what it's worth, I really enjoyed your work in there."

"It's just a wall full of talk," he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" His sentences where straightforward enough, but there was also that thing just underneath that made Bella think about his words long after his voice was silent.

"The stuff I make…it's really just a bunch of conversations; the real ones I have with people, and the stuff I think of in my head."

"So, this," Bella's hand motioned between the two of them, "is art to you."

He didn't know if it would be a sculpture or a painting, but if he could capture…whatever this was, he would create a man and a woman so tightly coiled around one another, that it would be impossible to decipher where one ended and the other began. Was it a lovers embrace or a frantic battle? Their hold would be so fierce and desperate that it would be hard to tell.

Edward looked at Bella's face, beautiful bone structure, deep expressive eyes, and her lips…shimmering with lip gloss that he wanted to kiss away. Was it flavored? Oh god, he hoped not, because when they kissed, he only wanted to taste her.

_When we kiss? _The thought was wrong, and all at once she was much too close. He retreated and ran his hand over his brow and down the slight stubble that had started to form on his cheek; his fingers passed near his nose, and he froze. This was the hand that had just touched her…the hand that she had been holding only moments before. His fingers curled into a fist as he inhaled deeply.

Edward had experimented with a few recreational drugs in his youth, but he'd never experienced an instant high like he did with one hit of Bella's scent.

"Is something wrong?" She squinted like she was watching the man go crazy right before her eyes, and if she had voiced her concern, Edward would have most likely agreed with her.

His sanity was definitely in question because at the moment, he wanted to lick every finger of his hand one by one until her fresh, bright scent filled not only his nose, but his mouth too. He wanted to bury his face in her hair so he could smell her more deeply. He wanted his tongue in her mouth so that he could taste her thoughts, and he wanted his hands in her…yes, something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

Edward was fooling himself if he thought he would be able to resist her. One look at her lips and his mouth started to water again. His eyes roamed down to the swell of her breast beneath the slight v-neck plunge of her dress, and his palms started to itch. And by the time he reached the curve of her hips, he had an agonizingly painful situation going on in his jeans.

His eyes shot back up to meet her questioning gaze and Bella instantly recognized that look. She'd been busy working at her desk a thousand times, only to look up and see Jacob standing at her door with that exact same expression on his face. It was lust. The man who, only days ago, had claimed that her beautiful outside was being eclipsed by how ugly she was on the inside, was now looking at her like he wanted nothing more than to devour her.

"You should go back in." Edward had managed to back himself into a corner, or more accurately, against the wrought iron railing of the porch that left him with no more room for retreat.

Bella smirked.

Prying eyes, looking into the deep recesses of her soul, she could do without, but this lusty side of Edward was something she could definitely handle. "I think I'll stay. You dragged me out here, and now I want some answers…why did you come to my house today?"

"You know why." _Oh no, no, no. The witness will answer the question._

It was just like being in the courtroom and working over a hostile witness. Bella was feeling the need to nail Edwards's ass…possibly in more ways than one.

"To leave the recycle bins, yes…but, _why_?"

"Because, you needed them."

"But you knew Emmett and I had agreed that I would pick them up from the warehouse, so why go out of your way to bring them to me?"

"It's not that big of a deal, Bella. I did something nice for you. Why can't you just say thank you, and leave it at that."

"Thank you…now tell me why you did it." Her voice was whisper quiet and Edward's only answer was to swallow coarsely two times in a row. She was standing so close. Her scent was supremely concentrated with the humid night air, and he was going to have to kiss her or lick her or bite her, or quite possibly all three in rapid succession.

She was close enough to feel his every exhale as it hit her face. It was obvious that his deep breathing was meant to control his body's reaction to her. Too bad it wasn't working.

_Poor thing._ Bella considered stepping back to give him more room to breathe, but this encounter was turning out to be more fun than she'd had in months.

None of the emotional demands that Jacob had started to place on her, this was what she knew and understood: the primal sexual chemistry that existed between a man and a woman.

Edward didn't really like her, he just wanted her. His deep thinking, artistic broodiness would never fit with her world of million dollar legal battles and shallow excess. He would not want to share her life, but sharing her body seemed like a real possibility, and in Bella's mind, that made him damn near perfect.

"Bella," he breathed. "Please move back, I…I don't want to do something…" He was thinking too much. Bella didn't like thinking at times like this, she liked action. So she kissed him.

The incessant tingle that Edwards's lips had been feeling was extinguished when her mouth touched his. If Bella had been expecting to take the lead because of Edward's reluctance, she had another thing coming. The moment she made contact, he grabbed her face, leaned her head back, and devoured her. From another man it would have been too much. Too much tongue and too much breath, and too much heat. But from Edward it wasn't enough. His tongue did not ask permission to enter; it burst through and staked its claim. It dipped and turned and swirled and drew her tongue into a dance so sensual, it felt like sex…oral sex in its most basic form. All of the nerve endings in their bodies were now channeled to the one place where they were internally connected. Lips, tongues, and teeth, became hands, torsos, and groins.

It was entirely silent until Edward moaned. The sound was deep and rich and guttural and it made Bella's whole body shiver in the hot August air. Goosebumps and sweat simultaneously broke out on her skin and her hands fisted the material of his t-shirt to keep herself from tipping over and to pull him closer, keeping the friction of his erection rubbing against the sensitive area between her belly button and her pelvic bone.

She'd expected the kiss to be good, but this was otherworldly. And people could have been watching through the window, Bella did not care. She knew that the few cars that had just passed by had gotten an eye full, and she hoped they'd taken notes. _This is what kiss should be, people…write it down._

Bella had just given herself permission to wonder whose place would be easier to get to, hers or his, when the decision suddenly became unnecessary.

The vibration from Edward's front pocket sent Bella stumbling backwards…or it could have been the force with which Edward dislodged her from his lips, practically shoving her body away from his.

"Fuck, Rosalie where the hell are you?" he bellowed into his phone. "I'm outside." There was a pause before the yelling began. "No, we need to go now…I don't care….I don't care! I have the valet ticket, and I am going to get the car."

The call was disconnected and Edward squeezed his hand into a fist around phone; white knuckles threatening to crack the silver case.

Bella wasn't sure what she expected to happen next, almost anything would have been better than him simply stomping down the porch steps to the sidewalk below.

He was leaving. He was going to molest her mouth and then just leave…without a word?

_Fuck that._

Bella was prepared to give him a piece of her mind when he stopped in his tracks, tugging on his hair in that nervous/sexy way he had.

Without a word, he turned back to her, taking the steps two at a time until he was standing a respectable distance away. Bella resisted the urge to smirk at his inability to just walk away from a kiss that amazing. _I know. I felt it too._

"What just happened here…"

"The kiss," Bella interjected with a smile.

"Yes, the kiss." Edward didn't smile back. "It was…." _devastatingly delicious, wonderfully toe curling, nearly orgasmic…_ _"_…wrong."

Bella realized in that moment that hearts sometimes skipped a beat for all the wrong reasons and when you least expected them to.

Edward wasn't interested in finishing what they'd started. She'd felt the earth move while he'd felt…something that Bella couldn't bring herself to care about anymore. After all, who was he? Just some artsy-fartsy know-it-all, who hauled her recycling away three times a week.

Shutting down was easy. She'd been doing it for years.

"I shouldn't have let it happen." He was tugging on his stupid hair again, and Bella sighed in make-believe boredom.

"But you did. I kissed you, you kissed me back, and now you regret it. I get it. I'm a big girl, and one amazing kiss doesn't make us soul mates for life, so you don't have to worry. I'm not about to start stalking you." Bella's took her lip gloss out because she needed to put back what he'd taken away.

"I didn't assume you would. There are just some things that I can't explain."

"So don't try." Lip gloss in purse…smile in place…dignity intact, but only on the outside. On the inside, Bella wondered how much rejection one person could be expected to take. Two times she'd been burned by this Edward Mason…there would not be a third.

"No hard feelings?" Edward softly called out to her as she crossed the short distance to the door, and it made Bella chuckle.

How sweet of him to assume she had feelings.

**A/N: Ouch, that ending kinda stings, don't it? Sorry…heehee.**

**MadeleineJade is my beta and she's super cute! She's got a super cool story called "Against the Odds," and it's vamptastic. I owe her lots of reviews for the chapters I've missed. I'm gonna catch up BB, I promise. If you're not reading her stuff, you should…right after you review and tell me how you feel about NoSexward. Will he be getting any in this story…come on now, let me introduce myself…Hello, my name is Tisa and I am a PERV! Of course he will be gettin some. I just can't tell you when.**

**Don't forget the Twilighted thread, I post spoilers people. **

**RFTT will be updated next, before Labor Day. *Fingers crossed.***

**Now REVIEW, and tell me about your best kiss ever! And when I say I respond to each and every review, I mean that shit. If you take the time to holla at me, I make the time to holla back.**


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